Police: Water plant employee urinated into system

An employee of the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority was caught urinating into a filtering unit at a treatment plant that provides drinking water to the Pottsville area, state police at Schuylkill Haven said.

Paul Herb, 52, of Mar Lin, Schuylkill County, was charged Monday with tampering with a public water system, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief, police said.

According to a news release, the incident happened the morning of April 20, when the authority's chief water operator went to the Indian Run Water Treatment Plant in Branch Township to help Herb fix faulty valves.

After testing of the water supply, authorities determined that "no public health threat was present," according to a statement from the Department of Environmental Protection.

On June 9, Herb voluntarily agreed to revoke his Water and Wastewater Systems Operation Certification, the statement reads. .

The agreement states that Herb cannot operate or supervise a water or wastewater facility in Pennsylvania. Herb has also agreed to waive his right to an administrative hearing and any future appeals, according to the statement

The plant serves the western portion of Pottsville and the areas of Forest Hills, Bunker Hill and Mt. Carbon, in addition to portions of North Manheim and Norwegian townships.